Music

Photo of Three piece ensemble

Music

Fall 2023

 

NJCU Symphony, Winds, and Percussion

group shot of symphony, winds, and percussion team with their instruments in hand

     Thursday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
Free - Registration Required

Register Now

VIEW PROGRAM

The NJCU Symphony of Winds and Percussion, directed by Patrick J. Burns, will present "The Beauty of Peace", a concert series of classic and modern music for wind band, in Ridgewood, Kearny, and on campus at Margaret Williams Theatre. The program will feature H. Owen Reed's groundbreaking experimental composition, Spiritual (1947), which is based on his impression of worship music in African-American churches. The piece is also believed to be the first incorporation of the bebop style in concert band music. The program will also feature Yukiko Nishimura's lush and lyric Star Ship (2003), based on an ancient Japanese legend of two lovers who meet only once per year, and Alfred Reed's epic work, To Rejoice in the Beauty of Peace (1983).

Other Dates and Locations

Friday, November 3, 7:30 p.m.
West Side Presbyterian Church
Free - Registration Required

Register Now

Wednesday, November 29, 7:30 p.m.
Lyndhurst Middle School
Free - Registration Required

Register Now

MDT Program & Performer Information

NJCU Mission Statement: New Jersey City University (NJCU) provides a diverse population with an excellent education. The University is committed to the improvement of the educational, intellectual, cultural, socioeconomic, and physical environment of the surrounding urban region and beyond.

MDT Mission Statement: We empower a rising generation of artists to become disruptive creators, performers, educators and leaders in the performing arts.

Our students are positioned for success in a competitive industry as inclusive voices and agile entrepreneurs.

About MDT:

The Music, Dance and Theatre department at New Jersey City University brings together internationally recognized musicians, vocalists, composers, actors and dancers to provide students with a dynamic education experience.

Our proximity to New York City makes NJCU the ideal place to study music, dance and theatre. Just minutes from symphony, ballet, opera, musical theatre, chamber music and jazz club venues, your education takes place on campus and off.

We offer major programs for undergraduates and graduate students and minors that provide students with a solid foundation in theory and performance. Our Music Business program is perfect for students seeking a career on the business side of the industry, or for performance majors who simply want to better understand how the music business works.

NJCU takes pride in creating a vibrant performing arts culture for its students and the surrounding community. The Music, Dance and Theatre Department contributes significantly to the university's musical offerings throughout the year. This means our students enjoy a wide selection of performance opportunities, including solo recitals, chamber music, large instrumental and choral ensemble concerts, and opera and musical theatre productions.

Our faculty comprise respected performers, composers, educators and scholars who take a serious interest in their students. Additionally, the Music, Dance and Theatre Department employs performers from the New York City

metropolitan area as adjunct instructors who teach private lessons, work as coaches and accompanists, and offer specialty courses. Are you ready to take the next step toward your performing arts career? Apply today!

Sincerely,

Dr. Amparo Fabra

LUCIANE DOM has been awarded an Institute of International Education Artist Protection Fund Fellowship and is in residence at New Jersey City University.

Luciane Dom - Photo by: Lilo Oliveira

Luciane Dom, a singer, songwriter, and historian, is part of the new generation of contemporary artists from Rio de Janeiro who brings poetic themes such as the black diaspora, feminism, empowerment, and social reflections that impact the construction of her emotions. With a background in History, she is currently in the United States in an Exchange program at New Jersey City University (NJCU) in partnership with the Institute of International Education researching her next musical project. With three albums released, including Liberte esse Banzo (2018), Jupiter and Urano (Onebeat 2018) and some singles, Luciane brings in her sound influences: from Afrobeats, to Urban Jazz with Reggae, and Ijexá. Luciane Dom's career goes beyond art as an expression to become a means of thinking about changes and telling stories using music and audiovisual media as a vehicle.

“I am a critical thinker and a natural observer who translates everything into music,” says Luciane Dom.

The singer and creator has been firmly established in world music, positioning herself as a political and historical musical body, where her experiences and her plans materialize in the form of lyrics, songs and texts that talk about her writings, her family background and the environment where she lived; the singer carries the crossings of black intellectuals such as Lélia Gonzales and Conceição Evaristo. In addition, the singer has shared stages and experiences with Emeline Michel, Malika Tirólien (Bokante), Vox Sambou, Liniker, Luedji Luna and Caio Prado, among others. She is an outstanding presence on relevant stages of the world music scene, fairs and events such as the MIMO Festival (2021) and in integrating line ups with artists such as Luedji Luna (BR) and Nouvelle Vague (Fr), Festival Mucho (2020), Faro MPB ( 2020), Oi Labsônica (2020), Formemus (Br, 2020), Música Mundo (Br, 2017) International Music Week SIM São Paulo (2019), etc… She is on her third US tour—Onebeat 2018, Brazil Summerfest (2019), NJCU Salsa Orchestra, (2021)—and one tour around Chile with IMESUR and La Makinita (2019).

Contato: lucianedomproducao@gmail.com
Management: Davidson Ilarindo +5521990474474
Booking: booking@mundogiras.com

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcnmUXA617I
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lucianedom
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lucianedom

Angelica

Angelica de la Riva Acclaimed Brazilian soprano with Cuban-Spanish heritage has performed regularly in New York at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall - the house of the New York Philharmonic- and Alice Tully Hall, also at ShenZen Concert Hall in China and the opera houses in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Angelica has also sung in France, Italy, and Dubai, AbuDhabi among other countries.

As a soloist, Mrs. De la Riva has performed with orchestras like the St. Luke´s, the Mozarteum, the Prague Symphony and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra under directors like R. Boudharam, M. Kosarin, L. Mills o E. Plasson.

Operatic highlights include Tosca, Poppea en L´Incoronaziones de Poppea, Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Nedda in Pagliacci. Recently Angelica sung the Mozart Requiem, at the National Auditorium in Madrid under maestro Pascual Osa.

Her versatility and stage commend, probably earned at law school and with her acting degree, aligned synergistically with her vocal skills allow Angelica to navigate through musicals as well. She started her professional career with the Disney theatrical production of The Beauty and the Beast, directed by Sam Scalamoni and Michael Kosarin, in Brazil. Shortly after, already in NY, Titania, for the musical adaptation of Midsummer Nights Dream, with Manhattan Ensemble Theatre (off Broadway) with whom she also starred another Shakespeare´s Musical adaptation, The Tempest. Mrs. De la Riva also starred in Stephen Sondheim´s A Little Night Music at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts.

Angelica´s solid academic background also grants her the tools to take up the challenge of interpreting contemporary music. Having starred the world premiere of The Rise and Fall of the First World, opera by Michael Kowalski, in NY, Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes, symphonic poem by João Guilherme Ripper as well as several son cycles including Festa de São João by G. Bernstein and De Amores by Amparo Fabra. Highlight as an actress at Lincoln Center include the premier of The Empty Hours by Spanish composer Ricardo Llorca, who five years later introduced Mrs. De la Riva her husband with whom she lives in Spain since 2019. Angelica has developed most of her career in New York where she lived for 15 years and went to The Juilliard School, The Brooklyn College and Mannes School of Music. Besides her performing career, Angelica is a proud teacher of African Music in the Americas at New Jersey Community College.

Angelica de la Riva, a former Brazilian rowing champion sang the Olympic Anthem at the Opening Ceremony for the IOC Summer Olympic Games 2016 and the Brazilian National Anthem at the Olympic Awards. In 2014 she was recruited by the Brazilian National rowing coach, her former coach, to return to her team and train for a spot at the Rio 2016.

César Haas

DMA – Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester MM – New Jersey City University BM – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)

César Haas is a Brazilian jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. César shared the stage with renowned jazz artists such as Chris Byars, Alex Noris, Brian Dickinson, Fernando Huergo, Paul Meyers, Richie Vitale, among others.

With a strong background performing Brazilian popular styles and jazz, César is currently recording his debut album featuring original compositions based on Brazilian rhythms with renowned jazz saxophonist Bobby Militello (former member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet).

While working on his DMA in Jazz Studies at Eastman School of Music, César taught jazz guitar and jazz theory and was awarded with the Eastman School of Music Teaching Assistant Prize 2020-2021. While in Rochester, NY, César co-lead the Ibeji Quartet, a group that performed original music and arrangements of jazz and Brazilian tunes, with media appearances and performances at the main jazz venues in upstate NY, as well as in the Rochester International Jazz Festival. His original composition Mangabeu, freely inspired by rhythmic counterpoint of Central African music, was selected to be part of the Jazz at Eastman album.

While working on his master’s degree in jazz performance in the NYC metropolitan area, along with performing with renowned jazz and Latin musicians in the NYC jazz scene in well-known venues such as Club Bonafide, Le Poisson Rouge and Cornelia Street Café as a leader and as a sideman, he was part of the New Jersey City University Tenor Conclave Combo. The ensemble was selected to record a live session at the iconic WBGO radio studios in Newark, NJ, under the supervision of award-winner saxophonist Walt Weiskopf. César also participated in recording sessions with Gian Stone at Stone Recording Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Gian Stone is a Grammy nominated producer and songwriter that works with Maroon Five, Arianna Grande, The Jonas Brothers, among others.

César’s current research work is to examine harmonic techniques from 20th century composer Vincent Persichetti and apply them to jazz improvisation, composition, and arrangement on the guitar. His doctoral lecture recital presentation on this topic was nominated to the Eastman Lecture Recital Prize.

In Brazil, while working on his bachelor in classical guitar at UFRGS (one of the top universities in the country), César was awarded a research scholarship and worked in the field of music theory, co-writing a paper that was presented at the XIX ANPPOM Congress (Brazilian National Association for Music Research), Brazilian most important music research conference. César has been performing regularly in Brazil as a leader with many appearances in newspapers, radio and TV shows, as well as a sideman, accompanying groups and singers such as Anaadi, Latin Grammy Award 2018 winner.

Diego Ferreira

Diego Ferreira holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Saxophone from UFRGS - Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (2013), a Master’s degree in Jazz performance from New Jersey City University (2017) – where he studied under saxophonists Bob Malach, Walt Weiskopf and Jim Snidero – and a second Master’s in Music Composition from New Jersey City University (2020), having studied with Spanish composer Amparo Fabra.

Diego Ferreira has participated as instructor, lecturer and performer in the most important saxophone and instrumental music events in Brazil, such as: II ESAX - International saxophone congress in Brasília (2015), I Encontro Internacional de Saxofonistas – Porto Alegre (2016), III Amapá Jazz Festival – Amapá, Brazil (2011), Festival de Música de Teutonia (2017). In the academic field, Diego has worked as saxophone instructor for lessons open to the community at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in 2009 - 2010 and as Adjunct faculty at New Jersey City University in 2018.

Diego has performed with Julio “Chumbinho” Herrlein, Emilio Valdes, Ricardo Baumgarten, Kiko Freitas, Edu Martins and Orquestra de Câmara do Theatro São Pedro, Vinicius Dorin, Gastão Villeroy, Di Steffano, Bibi Ferreira, Luiz Brasil, Alan Ferber, Catherine Russell, Chris Byars, Graciliano Zambonin, Peter Slavov, Felipe Viegas, Sergio Galvão, Mauricio Zotarelli, Daniel Sá, among others. Featured as special guest on Brazilian bassist Ricardo Baumgarten's album "O Encontro" (2010) and pianist Cristian Sperandir’s “Bons Ventos” (2018), Diego Ferreira appears on a number of records such as "Arquitetônicos" (2015), by trumpeter Marcos Santos, “The Observer” (2016) by New York based jazz fusion band Moon Sugar, “Angico” (2019) by New York-based brazilian drummer Graciliano Zambonin, to name a few.

Past Events Fall 2022 - Spring 2023

Pop RnB

Friday, May 12, 2023, 7:30 PM

Margaret Williams Theatre

The NJCU Pop/R&B Ensemble will be performing a variety of songs dating from the 1960s to the present day. It's a fun and joyful concert that you won't want to miss.

Reserve Tickets

View the Program

Cosi fan Tutte image

Saturday May 6, 2023, 7:30pm

Sunday May 7, 2023, 3:00pm

West Side Theatre

NJCU Opera Workshop will present Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Così fan Tutte (They Are All the Same!) on Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 7 at 3:00 pm. The performances will take place at NJCU’s West Side Theatre. Directed by Dr. Robert Prowse, and sung by NJCU voice students and alumni, the opera will be sung in Italian with English dialog. A favorite of the comic opera repertoire, Così fan Tutte tells the story of a pair of lovers who foolishly make a bet that their fiancées will be loyal to them, even in the face of great pressure to be unfaithful. Costumes, disguises, and outlandish plot twists ensure fun for cast and audience alike.

Reserve Tickets

VIEW PROGRAM

Flyer for Upcoming Jazz Festival for Friday, April 28 and Sunday, April 30

Friday, April 28, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Sunday, April 30, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm

 The Brightside Tavern, 141 Bright Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Please call 917-385-0703 for Reservations

Woodwinds

Monday, April 24, 2023, 7:00 PM

Rossey Hall, Room 101

Choral

Sunday, April 23, 2023, 3:00 PM

Margaret Williams Theatre

The NJCU Spring Choral Concert will take place on Sunday, April 23 at 3:00 pm in Margaret Williams Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public. Featuring the NJCU Concert Chorale under the direction of Dr. Robert Prowse, the program will center around the Requiem of John Rutter. Rutter’s inspiring and uplifting music is a cross between classical and popular styles, on traditional Latin and English texts. The Concert Chorale, a student choir of 45 singers, will also perform the work as part of a massed choir at Carnegie Hall in March.

Reserve Tickets

Symphony of Winds Ensemble

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

Margaret Williams Theatre

Directed by Patrick Burns, the NJCU Symphony of Winds and Percussion will present HIDDEN GEMS, an evening of music for the band consisting mainly of works that are rarely performed today. The repertoire, created over the course of nearly a century, represents composers from Japan, Great Britain, and the United States, and features two compositions by Clifton Williams (1923-1976) on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Reserve Tickets

 

Guitar Ensemble

Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 8:00 PM

Rossey Hall, Room 101


Free Admission


PROGRAM

Multi-Style Strings

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 8:00 PM

Margaret Williams Theatre

Donate to Scholarship Fund

In lieu of an Admission Fee, we kindly ask that you offer a contribution to the Multi-Style Strings Scholarship Fund at the above Link. Thank you!

PROGRAM


 

Brass Ensemble

Thursday, April 6, 2023,  7:00 PM

Rossey Hall, Room 101

Pop R&B Performers

Friday, December 16, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Margaret Williams Theatre

The Pop R’n’B Ensemble is the creation of the NJCU Music Business program. It is dedicated to performing classic “pop” with a focus on rhythm & blues music from the pens of 20th century tunesmiths whose work ruled the airwaves from the 1960s to the present day.

 


Reserve Free Tickets


 

Woodwind Ensemble Participants

Monday, December 12, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Rossey Hall, Room 101

The woodwind chamber ensemble concert features all the woodwind chamber ensembles and soloists at NJCU this fall.


Free Admission


Holiday Choir

Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 3 p.m.

Margaret Williams Theatre

The NJCU Holiday Choral Concert will take place on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 3 p.m. in the Margaret Williams Theatre on the NJCU campus. The concert will feature performances by the NJCU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers, both under the direction of Dr. Robert Prowse. The songs will span five centuries and will include songs from Christian and Jewish traditions, plus popular music for the holiday season. 


Free Admission


 

Guitar Performers

Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at 7:30 pm

Rossey Hall, Ingalls Recital Hall
Room 101

Hear students of Celil Refik Kaya and Michael Newman play works from a variety of composers.


Free Admission


 

Jazz Festival Participants

Thursday, December 1
Friday, December 2 

Performances start at 5 p.m. with the last beginning at 11 p.m.

The Brightside Tavern
141 Bright Street
Jersey City, N.J.

December 1:
5:00 p.m. | Rob Edwards & Bird’s Eye View
6:15 p.m. | Diana Carillo & The NJCU Sax Ensemble
7:30 p.m. | The NJCU Jazz Vocal Workshop
8:45 p.m. | Larry Bustamante’s Mingus Workshop
10:00 p.m. | The Winard Harper Collective
11:00 p.m. | Proyecto VT Cuba

December 2:
5:00 p.m. | Jay Anderson’s Sound Minds
6:15 p.m. | Sherrine Mostin & The Broken Record Collective
7:30 p.m. | John Benitez Global Citizens Ensemble
8:45 p.m. | Gabriel Alegria’s NJCU Afro-Peruvian Sextet
10:00 p.m. | The Jeff “Tain” Watts Nurturers Ensemble
11:00 p.m. | The NJCU Drum Circle feat. Freddy “Huevito” Lobatón

Sponsored by The New Jersey City University Jazz Studies Program

Reservations: Call 917-385-0703

Past Events Fall 2021-Spring 2022

Guy Davis with his guitar

Friday, October 15, 2021 at 6:30 P.M.
Virtual Event
Tickets: $8 Individual; $15 Family Group (up to 5 people)

Join us with the whole family for a truly inspiring and joyous program of music and stories with Guy Davis, in his show Routes of the Blues. Acclaimed and GRAMMY nominated artist, Guy Davis, has spent his musical life carrying his message of the blues around the world, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, earning him the title “An Ambassador of the Blues”. His work as an actor (film, TV and Broadway), author and music teacher earmark him as a renaissance man of the blues. This show introduces the history of the Blues and demonstrates its different styles, rhythms and story themes.

Guy Davis Performance and Interview Video
ADG7 Posing for Photo

Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 8:00 P.M.
Margaret Williams Theatre

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

With one foot in the world of tradition and another in glitzy upbeat pop, Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) is a multi-award winning group featuring three powerhouse female folk singers and a rich repertoire inspired by Korea's sacred, shamanic ritual music (gut) and beloved folk songs (minyo) of Hwanghae Province in the northern reaches of the Peninsula. Their powerful performances engage and immerse like no other, presenting the spiritual blessings and positive energy of traditional music in a thoroughly modern and often comical style.

“The nine-member ensemble presents itself not as earnest traditionalists, but as a giddy show band with all the trappings of K-pop — choreographed singers, candy-colored costumes and bouncy, upbeat, often swinging songs that link the concision of folk tunes to the catchy repetition of pop, with brash cymbals for drive and flute and zither lines for instrumental hooks.”  (The New York Times)

ADG7 Performing
Symphony of winds and percussion ensemble

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 7:30 P.M.
Margaret Williams Theatre

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

REMEMBRANCE will feature William Grant Still’s rarely-heard To You, America!, the first piece ever commissioned by the US Military Academy Band by an African-American Composer. The program also includes works by Clifton Williams, Francis McBeth, Yukiko Nishimura, Thom Ritter George, Robert Hanson, George Gershwin, and Patrick Burns. Guest soloist: Jerry Bryant, trumpet.

Keep up with everything the NJCU Symphony of Winds and Percussion ensemble does by liking them on Facebook

Music on Music Stands

Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Ingalls Recital Hall (Rossey Hall)

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

The Caroline L. Guarini Department of Music, Dance and Theatre at New Jersey City University presents “An Evening of Opera Scenes” on Friday, December 3 in Ingalls recital Hall, in the Rossey building at NJCU. Directed by Dr. Robert Prowse and Professor David Maiullo, NJCU’s Opera Workshop students perform scenes and arias from a variety of operas, including, Carmen, Die Fledermaus, The Magic Flute, The Elixir of Love, and more. After a long year without live public performances, the students are eager to bring the art of operatic singing and acting back to our community. The performance is free and open to the public.Graduate and undergraduate students will sing arias, duets, trios and ensemble numbers, with a mix of the dramatic and the comedic.

NJCU Jazz Ensemble

Saturday, December 4, 2021: 12 - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 5, 2021: 12 - 6:30 p.m.

Margaret Williams Theatre

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

The NJCU Winter Jazz Fest brings you into an intimate world of call and response with tomorrow’s jazz legends.  The festival is headlined by multi-grammy award-winning jazz faculty who share the stage mano-a-mano with the most talented young artists in the region.

Keep up with everything NJCU Jazz-related by liking us on Facebook.

Choral Studies Students Singing

Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

A choral celebration featuring the NJCU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Robert Prowse. Our first post-pandemic choral concert, there will be a variety of musical compositions by men and women from the past and the present. Come help us celebrate and share our humanity through music. 

Keep up with all future choral studies events by following our Facebook page.

Singer Performing

Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 7:30 P.M.
Margaret Williams Theatre

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

The NJCU Pop/R&B Ensemble will be performing a variety of songs dating from the 1960s to the present day. It's a fun and joyful concert that you won't want to miss.

 

Martha Mook on left, Martha Mooke & David Bowie on Right
(Left) Image Credit: Ebru Yildiz |(Right) Taken Backstage at Carnegie Hall, February 26, 2001

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 8:00pm

NJCU School of Business Lecture Hall
200 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ, 07302 

$20 General Admission

Free for NJCU Students, Faculty & Staff.
(Contact Boxoffice@NJCU.edu for sign up information)

Electro-acoustic violist and David Bowie collaborator Martha Mooke explores David Bowie’s “search for unconscious intelligence.” This event is inspired by Bowie’s creative process and includes video segments, live performances, Mooke's recounting of stories, and personal reminiscences and will end with a Q & A with the audience. 

Symphony of Winds and Percussion ensemble in rehearsal

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theatre COVID-19 Protocols***

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 7:30 P.M.

Location:
Margaret Williams Theatre
New Jersey City University
2039 Kennedy Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07305

VISIONS will feature works by composers whose compositional voices or inspiration was of particular significance either musically or historically. The program will include music by Ulysses Kay, Nancy Galbraith, Vincent Persichetti, Roger Zare, and much more. Performances by James Reese Europe, Gustav Holst, Patrick J. Burns, Yukiko Nishimura, and Yasuhide Ito. Special guest will be heather Hanzlik, granddaughter of the great Clifton Williams, whose TRILOGY we will be performing that night.

The world premiere performance of Joshua A. Idio’s new work, DREAMS OF AN ARCHITECT, will also be presented.

Keep up with everything the NJCU Symphony of Winds and Percussion ensemble does by liking them on Facebook

NJCU Choir Orchestra playing
 

Two Performances
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. at
Margaret Williams Theatre, New Jersey City University, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07305

**All Tickets Must be Purchased in Advance.**

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theatre COVID-19 Protocols***

 $20 General Admission | $15 Senior | $5 Student

This powerful music, featuring the “Ode to Joy”, will be performed by an orchestra of students, alumni, faculty and members of the New Jersey Symphony. The choral finale will feature the NJCU Concert Chorale and the Oratorio Choir of West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, NJ.

The performance will be directed by Dr. Robert Prowse, Coordinator of Choral Studies at NJCU. The program will also feature excerpts from Randall Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom, conducted by Deborah Holden-Holloway, Music Minister of West Side Presbyterian Church.

In partnership with NJCU, members of the New Jersey Symphony join the university’s orchestra for this performance.

New Jersey Symphony Logo

 

NJCU Jazz Ensemble

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theatre COVID-19 Protocols***

Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 12:30pm - 9pm & Sunday May 1, 2022 from 12:30pm - 9pm

Location:
Margaret Williams Theatre
New Jersey City University
2039 Kennedy Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Purchase Tickets | $25 Public | $15 Seniors & Non NJCU Students |
NJCU Students Free with NJCU ID (Email Boxoffice@njcu.edu for tickets)

The NJCU Jazz Fest is like entering the hall of mirrors in a Carnaval-- you never know what is right around the corner. You will experience the exotic, the traditional, and the cutting edge.

SATURDAY APRIL 30th:

  • 12:30pm Alumni Workshop by Cesar Haas
  • 2:00pm Omar Kabir's Blues Knights
  • 3:30pm John Benitez World Citizens
  • 5:00 Jay Anderson Sound Minds
  • 6:30pm Dr. A's Afro-Peruvian Loop
  • 8:00pm Huevito's NJCU Drum Circle
  • 9:00pm Jeff Watts Nurturers Ensemble

SUNDAY MAY 1ST:

  • 12:30pm The Mark Whitfield Band
  • 2:00pm NJCU Jazz Vocal Workshop
  • 3:00pm Larry Bustamante Mingus Workshop
  • 4:30pm Rob Edwards Bird's Eye View
  • 6:00pm Sherrine's Broken Record Collective
  • 7:30pm The NJCU Jazz Orchestra
  • 9:00pm The NJCU Salsa Orchestra


Keep up with everything NJCU Jazz-related by liking us on Facebook.

Angelica & Luciane
Left: Angelica de la Riva  (Credit: Pepe Botella) | Right: Luciane Dom (Credit: Lilo Oliveira)

**All Tickets Must be Purchased in Advance.**

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theatre COVID-19 Protocols***

Sunday, May 8, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.

Location:
Margaret Williams Theatre
New Jersey City University
2039 Kennedy Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Purchase Tickets

The Caroline L. Guarini Department of Music, Dance, and Theater in collaboration with the Office of Global Initiatives would like to invite you to the 2022 benefit concert “Music of Brazil and the Americas” featuring Rio de Janeiro based singer-songwriter Luciane Dom, and Brazilian lyric soprano Angelica de la Riva, together with NJCU students and alumni. Luciane Dom has been awarded an Institute of International Education Artist Protection Fund Fellowship and is in residence at New Jersey City University.

Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Music, Dance, and Theatre Scholarship.

 

Singer Performing

Friday, May 13, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.


Margaret Williams Theatre
New Jersey City University
2039 Kennedy Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Free with RSVP

***All attendees must adhere to the NJCU Theater COVID-19 Protocols***

The NJCU Pop/R&B Ensemble will be performing a variety of songs dating from the 1960s to the present day. It's a fun and joyful concert that you won't want to miss.

 

Opera Singer in Blue Dress

Dates:
Friday, May 20, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

Location: West Side Theatre
285 West Side Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Free with RSVP

Love and comedy are on trial as NJCU’s Music, Dance, and Theatre Department presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s one-act comedy “Trial by Jury” and excerpts from Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffman.” Directed by Dr. Robert Prowse. Music direction by David Maiullo. The cast features NJCU students and alumni.

Photograph of Svetlana

Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.

Join us at the Jersey City Jazz Festival /

Exchange Place Alliance Stage


Free Admission for All!


107 Morgan Street, Parking Lot

Jersey City, NJ 07302

[The entrance is located on Warren St., between Morgan St. & Steuben St.]

Svetlana is “Astrud Gilberto via Moscow”, a Russian-born critically acclaimed American jazz vocalist. Her new record and concert program, Night at the Movies is Svetlana’s love affair with movies and dreaming. The concert adapts Oscar-winning Songs from the 1930s to today, taking listeners on a carnival of sound, from sultry introspective torch jazz vocals to a rowdy New Orleans-inspired dance party.

Carrying over all the romance, passion, and beautiful familiar melodies, while discovering unexpected gems and adding a new twist and high energy – the band is fronted by Svetlana’s captivating vocals and stage presence. Listeners will find themselves nodding along to familiar tunes - while also being thrilled by the twists, turns, and unexpected improvisational aspects of Svetlana’s exciting virtuoso band of young jazz lions. The show is accompanied by projected moving images inspired by the movies from which the songs are drawn.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s meets Some Like It Hot” – NY Music Daily

“Exceptional vocalist” – Wall Street Journal

“Once in A Lifetime Voice” – Aquarian Weekly

Svetlana singing in recording booth
Svetlana: a Night at the Movies

Past Events Fall 2019 - Spring 2021

Music Director and Conductor: Dick Lowenthal Celebrating Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and Nat King Cole

Photograph of Wynton Marsalis playing trumpet

Friday, September 6, 6:00 p.m.
Harborside Atrium
210 Hudson St, Jersey City, NJ 07311

In partnership with the City of Jersey City and the Office of Cultural Affairs, the Hudson County Office of Culture and Tourism, and the Exchange Place Alliance, this outdoor concert has become one of the most anticipated events of the year in the community, drawing a huge crowd to the spectacular waterfront venue.

Free and open to the public!

 

Rodney Marsalis and band standing for group photo

Thursday, February 20, 9:45 a.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre

Saturday, February 22, 8:00 p.m
Margaret Williams Theatre

The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass is composed of some of America’s top brass musicians dedicated to bringing the joyous experience of great music to a wide range of audiences. They perform music ranging from the streets of New Orleans to Baroque to pop. This show presents a look at music styles from many cultures including a Mardi Gras Celebration

This engagement of Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass Performance
Film poster for a time remembered
 
Joel Zelnik - Piano
Brian Glassman - Bass
David Cox - Drums
 
Saturday, March 7, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
Ingalls Recital Hall
 
This screening of the documentary, "Time Remembered", about the late/great jazz pianist Bill Evans, is hosted by pianist and NJCU Alumnus Joel Zelnik '69 and his trio. They will perform a pre-screening concert featuring music of Bill Evans.
 
Bill Evans (1929-1980) was one of the most important and influential pianists and composers in the history of jazz. From the early 1950s, when he first found work as a sideman, through the dozens of albums he released as a leader, his impact has been incalculable-Evans fundamentally altered the sound of piano trio jazz forever.
Joel Zelnik Trio performing

 

Charlotte Blake Alston holder her instrument

Thursday, February 13, 9:45 a.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
$8 for all students and adults (including teachers)


Grades K-5, and story lovers of all ages.

Enjoy a morning of storytelling and song with Charlotte Blake Alston, an internationally recognized artist who breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African American oral and cultural traditions. Her solo performances are enhanced with traditional instruments such as djembe, mbira, shekere and the 21-stringed kora. A featured artist on Carnegie Hall’s Family Concert Series since 1996, Charlotte is a recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston Award, the highest award from the National Association of Black Storytellers.

 

Charlotte Blake Alston telling a story.
NJSO Chamber players
NJSO Chamber Player talking with students

Saturday, October 19, 2:00 p.m.
Margaret Williams Theatre
Tickets $20, Children under 17: $12

 

Audiences of all ages will thrill to the adventures of a mischievous boy, hungry wolf, grumpy grandpa and collection of animal characters in Peter and the Wolf at this New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players family concert. In his famous musical fairytale, Prokofiev cleverly matches each character to an instrument and a musical theme so listeners can imagine the exciting tale as it unfolds.

This special arrangement of Prokofiev’s classic tale features the instruments of the woodwind family, combining the same great imagery with a focus on the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn.

Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.

Photograph of Tim Farrell

Saturday, September 21, 8:00 p.m.
NJCU School of Business, Skyline Room 200
Hudson Street, Jersey City
Tickets: $25

**Workshop at 4:00 p.m. with Tim. Admission included with your ticket to the evening show. Must RSVP to Boxoffice@njcu.edu to confirm spot  in workshop.**

With so many guitarists trying to make
their mark these days, it’s not easy being a “trailblazer.” Yet, that perfectly defines Tim Farrell. His fingerstyle playing and original compositions display an elegant simplicity that celebrates the purity of the acoustic guitar. Farrell is a rare kind of musician who can entertain an audience and inspire future generations of players.

Fingerstyle Guitar Basics Workshop:
Tim Farrell will walk students through the basic elements of fingerstyle guitar playing. He will present and illustrate the foundations and concepts of the fingerstyle approach to guitar. Students will learn ways to make the their playing more musical and more enjoyable. Advanced techniques may be discussed per the skill levels of attendees. 
Tim Farrell playing his guitar
Acoustic Guitar Sessions Presents Tim Farrell
Guy Davis with his guitar

Free Livestream
Friday, October 9, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Join us for a truly inspiring and joyous afternoon of music with Guy Davis, only for NJCU Students, Faculty and Staff. Acclaimed artist, Guy Davis, has spent his musical life carrying his message of the blues around the world, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, earning him the title “An Ambassador of the Blues”. His work as an actor (film, TV and Broadway), author and music teacher earmark him as a renaissance man of the blues. What music and acting have in common, he explains, “is that I don’t like people to see the hard work and the sweat that goes into what I do. I want them to hear me and be uplifted.”  

NJSO Bollywood Performers

Saturday, Oct 24, 7:00 P.M.
Please note registration closes at 5:00pm day of event
Virtual event

Join the NJSO Chamber Players for a virtual musical journey inspired by Bollywood, the Indian Hindi-language film industry. Explore historical influences on the growth of Bollywood and hear insights into signature music and lyrics of the genre. Listen for themes from the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire! This interactive virtual event will include a Q&A with NJSO

Debashish Bhattacharya ans his slide guitar

Saturday, November 7, 8:00 P.M.
Virtual event
and live Q&A

Free with RSVP

Please join us for a virtual event featuring DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA, a born guitar wizard and today's legend of slide guitar. He is a global inspiration in the contemporary musical scenario of India and world. 

Debashish Bhattacharya and his slide guitar
Gina Chavez in red dress holding string instrument

Saturday, November 14

4:00 pm - Workshop
8:00 p.m - Concert


Virtual events
Free with RSVP

Please join us for a songwriting workshop and concert featuring Gina Chavez. 

Chavez's bilingual songs blend the sounds of the Americas with tension and grace. A multiethnic Latin pop songstress, Chavez is a nine time Austin Music Award winner -- including 2015 Musician of the Year and Album of the Year for her sophomore release, Up.Rooted. Her independent album topped the Amazon and Latin iTunes charts following a national feature on NPR's All Things Considered, and has been hailed by The Boston Globe, USA Today, Texas Monthly and the Austin Chronicle. Her band’s Tiny Desk concert made NPR’s top 15 of 2015. 

Gina Chavez singing and playing guitar
Baron Ryan at Piano

Virtual Event
Saturday, April 24, 8:00 P.M.

Free with RSVP

Join us for a livestreamed concert with pianist Barron Ryan, from the Margaret Williams Theatre. Smithsonian Magazine recently named Barron "One of Ten Innovators to Watch in 2021". He has just released the funkiest, ‘countriest’, most calypso-y classical music album you’ve ever heard, on his third solo album, First of Its Kind.

As an undergraduate piano student Barron was known to perform jazz during recitals … against his piano professor’s wishes. When he’s not playing concerts around the world, he makes rap song videos featuring virtuoso kazoo playing. 

“I wanted to show audiences that all styles can get along,” Barron said. “So I used the influence of artists like James Brown, Elton John, and Sam Cooke to write classical music. It should feel familiar to modern listeners while including delightful surprises along the way."

Barron Ryan Playing Piano

The Honey Dewdrops

Honey Dewdrops Duo on stage performing

Concert - Virtual Event  
Saturday, April 17 at 8:00 P.M.

Join us for a live-streamed concert with The Honey Dewdrops, from the NJCU School of Business Skyline Room. Their latest album, Anyone Can See, is drenched in sonic roominess, each of the tracks stretching to fill the space, but with a warmth that allows the album to fit comfortably anywhere.  

"Acoustic, folky Americana rarely sounded finer. An uplifting listen!" - Mark Nenadic, Americana UK 

Songwriting Workshop:
Thursday, April 29, 11:10 A.M. - 12:50 P.M.

Virtual Event

This workshop with The Honey Dewdrops will focus on creativity and songwriting with an emphasis on lyric writing. We'll explore the importance of making songwriting a regular practice by addressing two modes of working: gathering and collecting ideas and inspiration from outside sources; and generating lyrics and musical ideas on your own. 
Honey Dewdrops Duo performing
NJCU Center for the Arts logo, Exchange Place Alliance Logo, Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs Logo

 

Man playing the saxophone with child

Sunday, June 20, 3 p.m.
Location: Margaret Williams Theatre
$15 - $20 per pod 
***Must be purchased in Advance. No sales at the door***

Seating Options:

  • 4-seat POD - $20 (6 pods available)
  • 3-seat POD - $15 (8 pods available)
  • ADA Accessible POD - $15 - seats 1-4 people (2 pods available)

In a playful and humorous manner, NJSO’s version of Kipling’s The Jungle Book—featuring a string ensemble—introduces young audiences to classical masterworks and to various styles of music.

Logo of Discovery Jersey Arts
NJCA Logo and statement